Exploring the School Nurse’s Perception of Caring for Students with Severe Allergies

Abstract

The role of the school nurse continually evolves, with an increase in students who are medically fragile, have disabilities and those diagnosed with both acute and chronic illnesses. A major challenge for the school nurse is the number of students with severe allergies. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates food allergies in children have increased by 50% in the past decade. These allergies can be life threatening and effect one in thirteen children under the age of eighteen, which means potentially two students in each classroom in the U.S. has a severe allergy. School nurses are responsible for providing comprehensive care to these students. Literature demonstrates the role of the school nurse in providing this care is exceedingly complex. A quantitative study was done to explore the school nurses perception of caring for students with severe allergies. The research question guiding the study was, “What does the school nurse perceive as the greatest challenges to providing comprehensive care to the student and their families with severe allergies?” Barriers to care were identified and supported by the literature. The data were collected through an on-line survey tool. The participants consisted of 26 school nurses. The findings answered the research question and provide inspiration for further study.